Exclusive: Paramore's Former Guitarist Talks Splitting from the Band and Finding Life in His New Music

"I feel like it's my first album ever," Farro says.

You probably already love one of Farro's songs — you just might not realize you do. The singer and songwriter, whose full name is Josh Farro, rose to fame as the guitarist for the high-energy rock outfit Paramore, but his newest project is much more intimate: he's going alone.

He is, of course, not the first artist to ever break from a successful band, and her certainly won't be the last. But something interesting about Josh's reinvention as a solo outfit is that his solo work sounds all at once reminiscent of and totally distinct from his prior stuff, most of which he co-write. It's intimate, it's honest, and it still has that signature guitar-driven hook (which makes sense — he's been playing since he was 13).

So how does an artist try to find their own sound after finding so much success? Teen Vogue chatted with Josh about his upcoming album, "Walkways," which is out February 5; why he decided to put out acoustic music videos for his singles instead of fully produced tracks; and why a total pro like him could be so nervous the first time he sang lead.

Teen Vogue: What was the inspiration behind "On a Wire"?

Josh Farro: Honestly, I was wanting to write a song about two people in a relationship and from one person's perspective in that relationship where they have the other person walking on eggshells and it starts with the couple laying in bed and they just had an argument and they're like, kind of giving each other the silent treatment and not talking and I feel like we've all been there and you get frustrated. The chorus is kind of talking about the individual comes to the realization that he's got the other person walking on eggshells, kind of on a tightrope all the time, and the reason for their argument in the grand scheme of things aren't that big of a deal, so that's basically it. It's kind of how we can be tough on the ones we love without really realizing it.

TV: What prompted you to record the music video as an acoustic version of the song?

JF: We were brainstorming how we wanted to gear up for the release of the album, so we chose a handful of singles. We decided that it would be cool to record an acoustic version of each one, and to do an acoustic video for that, just to give the song a different spin just to give people more content than the actual song. We live in a YouTube world nowadays and people want to see videos and hear different versions of songs, so we just figured, the more content the better.

TV: Do you have a preference between an acoustic or a more produced song?

JF: Oh, man. It's so different. It really depends on the song. I think I actually lean toward the acoustic version of "On a Wire." But there are other songs that I like the idea of a full band and full production. A lot of people love the acoustic side, which surprised me. I figured people would prefer the full band, but I've been proven wrong.

TV: When you write about love and relationships, how do you handle people who say, 'Oh, this definitely happened to him'?

JF: I do think about that and obviously the natural reaction would be, "oh, he's experienced this himself." I don't always write from my perspective. Sometimes a friend of mine or family member will be going through something and I'll write the song based on their perspective, and I'll write the song based on their perspective and whatever they're situation they're going through in life. So it's not always me, but I'd say a majority of the time it is about me.

TV: How do you navigate it when people want to speculate and read into things that aren't really there?

JF: You know, I'll tell them what it's really about and if they want to make some judgment or some call or assume that it's about something that it's not, then I can't really help that. I guess all I can do is tell them the truth and what it's really about, but I kind of like the idea of writing songs and leaving room for for the listener to be creative with their imagination like, "okay, I wonder who this is about and what exactly is this about? Is this about Josh and his wife, or about somebody else?" I like that level of mystique.

TV: You wrote or co-wrote a number of songs for Paramore, but now you're your own outfit. What's different about doing your own thing now?

JF: I think the fact that it is just me means a lot more responsibility and it's not just writing songs that I think are cool. There are plenty of other factors in the equation. I think about singing them live and how they'll translate. I love to think big picture and about the entire album. I want it to be cohesive. I don't want a random song on there that doesn't sound like the rest of the album. At the same time, I want to keep it different enough so that it doesn't sound like the same song over and over again. I've found that obviously I'm having to make all the decisions, whereas in the past, when I was in a band, it was a joint effort. I do miss that aspect because it helps when you have bandmates to carry some of the load. But I love the fact that it's just me and I can do whatever I want. I have creative freedom. And I love being in a band, and I love having different perspective on something.

TV: What was it like to create your new album without those extra perspectives?

JF: It was a different experience, but I had a lot of fun. I had my brother play drums on the album; he's so creative. It's kind of like I had a band but they came in one at a time, whether it was the bass player or the keyboard player. It was cool to watch these guys that I hired just do their thing and I would tell them, "well, I'm kind of wanting this sound or part right here," as opposed to me playing it. I couldn't play drums but I could probably play most everything else, and I decided I wanted an actual bass player and keyboard player just for a different feel. I didn't want it to be a one-man band. The bass player is going to play something completely different than I would, and that might give it more dynamic. But it was a great, fun process working with my producer, Jacquire Kings. It was definitely a growing process but the outcome was well worth it and I'm very happy with the finished product.

JF: That's a hard question because I love them all, but a few stand out to me more than others. I love the title track "Walkways." That's one of my favorites. I think it's one of the most unique-sounding songs that I have. I also love the slower songs. I've got a song called "Islands" on there that's very dark and eerie and acoustic-driven. It's got a totally different feel. It just depends what mood I'm in. [Laughs]

TV: Where do you see your sound evolving?

JF: I feel like everybody's first album always sounds so different from the third or fourth. I don't know. I want to let it happen naturally. I'm already writing for the next album because I'm always writing. The new songs that I'm writing, they kind of have more of an '80s sound, more like Phil Collins...at least some of them. I feel like it takes a couple albums for an artist to really find their groove and get their overall sound. I don't want to force anything.

TV: Technically you've put out other albums. Are you looking at this as "before solo" and "after solo"?

JF: Yeah, but as Farro, as just me...I do see this as a beginning, as starting from the ground up. Definitely from that perspective, I feel like it's my first album ever. In a lot of ways it is. I'm singing now and I never sang lead before. That's a whole different ball game and everything else, I'm totally used to making albums, but it was slightly different from when I was in Paramore.

TV: How did it feel to start singing live?

JF: It felt great. I was very nervous leading up to my first show. I was like, man, I don't know if I can do this. I got so nervous the day before. And then the day of the show, I felt peaceful and relaxed, and got on stage and it just...you never know how it's gonna translate, the songs, the sound of my voice, especially in Nashville. My first show was in Nashville, and they're the hardest crowd to play in front of. But I went out there and they were extremely welcoming and receptive to all my songs and my sound. They cheered really loudly, and I was like, 'Wow, this is awesome.' I just felt like I was in my element, just doing exactly what I was created to do.

In Paramore, I just played guitar, and I loved performing but I had no idea what it would be like to sing. I would watch Hayley, and it was like, man, I could never do that. She's so high-energy, she's so talented, she's got this charisma. But as I play more and more, I can see potential of getting to a point...not that I would be like Hayley, but I would find my groove as far as talking on stage and moving. It depends on what kind of band you're in, but for my style of music, I don't feel like you can just sit there and sing. I feel like you need to really engage with the crowd and know how to move and talk, so it's a learning process but it's a fun one.